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On the eve of his six-year milestone as manager, Mikel Arteta has stated plainly that his future at Arsenal is inextricably linked to achieving success.

A Look Back: The Arteta Era

Arteta took over on December 20th, 2019 and soon guided the team to an cup win a short time later. But, that initial silverware is still his lone significant piece of silverware since succeeding Unai Emery.

“I can,” he stated upon being asked about his future past 2027. “However, it is about today. And many things have to happen in the near future as well to earn the right.”

Saturday night brings the six-year milestone with a game facing Everton, the very same club Arsenal played just after his appointment was announced.

The Current Landscape

With second-placed Manchester City set to face West Ham earlier in the day, Arsenal risk losing top spot in the Premier League prior to their fixture. This potential shift notwithstanding Arteta overseeing a squad that has endured in excess of one hundred injury setbacks over the course of last season.

The manager currently has a year and a half left on the contract he inked in 2024, yet understands fully that results must come promptly.

Survival in the Job

He went on to explain, stressing the ongoing need to validate his position. “In my view a manager must deserve the right to be here tomorrow. And that is determined by how you react, how you address the media, how you enter the dressing room, the instructions you give.”

Arteta continued, commending the strong backing from the club's ownership, but pinpointing the team's buy-in as paramount. “At the end, the critical component are those players... For six years, I’ve seen just players with a degree of commitment, desire to learn and give the maximum to the team.”

Latest Fitness Blow

Arsenal heads into the weekend fixture coping with an additional absence. Defender Ben White has been ruled out with a strain that is anticipated to keep him out for the coming weeks.

Confidence in the Path

Even with the availability issues and the intense pressure, Arteta is confident the club's “objectives and communication” are completely changed from when he began his reign.

The manager referenced the record-breaking achievements as proof they are close. “Examine the performances, all the records that we... were breaking... We still haven't been able to do that [win trophies]. But that shows the standard we operate at.”

He finished by saying, “This is a standard that the Premier League has not witnessed in the past. And we want to achieve more lofty ambitions. And if we do that, I think we are on the correct trajectory to winning.”